Sudbury: Town hires environmental firm to test Melone property

Saturday

Nov 11, 2017 at 4:23 PMNov 12, 2017 at 1:06 PM

Jonathan Dame Daily News Staff @DameReports

SUDBURY – The town hired an environmental consultant Wednesday to test the soil and groundwater of the Melone property as selectmen move forward with plans to develop or sell the 46-acre parcel off Rte. 117.

GeoInsight Inc. will search for contamination at the site, a former town-run gravel pit that neighbors the contaminated former Sperry Rand Research Center. The Melone property has never been tested before.

Last month, 42 people attended a public workshop to share ideas about how the property should be used in the future; 44 people completed an online survey on the same topic.

Among the top suggestions from residents were housing, recreational fields and trails, a commercial development, a solar array, or a mix of uses, Planning Director Meagen Donoghue told selectmen. Some suggested an amphitheater, a dog park, or a community garden.

But residents cited traffic along Rte. 117, the uneven topography of the land, and possible contamination as concerns. The property is located in North Sudbury, with 16.4 acres of it located in Concord.

The town has begun drafting a request for proposals that would allow developers or potential buyers to submit plans for how they would use the site. But selectmen will wait to issue the document until the environmental testing is complete.

Three residents who spoke at a board meeting Tuesday encouraged selectmen to develop a more specific vision for the property, based on resident feedback, before seeking proposals.

“This is one of the last opportunities we have to do this kind of development,” said resident Steven Swanger, a member of the Sudbury Housing Authority. “No, the town should not be a developer, but that doesn’t mean the town doesn’t dictate to the developer what its priorities are.”

The area around Rte. 117 is somewhat “annexed” from the rest of town, said resident Janie Dretler, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Board of Selectmen earlier this year.

“So being able to offer those residents more amenities would be wonderful,” Dretler said. “I’d like to see the town be more focused on what the town needs rather than just throwing it out there for someone to bid on.”

Dretler got selectmen to clarify that the Melone property had never been tested for contaminants. Last year, GeoInsights concluded that chemical solvents from the nearby Sperry Rand site could have migrated to the property, based on a review of documents.

Sperry Rand, a now-defunct electronics manufacturer, for years operated a research facility on a 140-acre parcel at 100 North road. TCE and other solvents leeched into the groundwater there, and the state has overseen cleanup efforts since 1984.

Separately, earlier this year, the town discovered that its own Department of Public Works had previously dumped debris – such as tires, possible catch basin cleanings and other junk – at the Melone property. The town had planned to test and remove the waste.

GeoInsight's environmental testing will cost around $15,000.

Jonathan Dame can be reached at 508-626-3919 or jdame@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @DameReports